Lift questions

[bfgreen85]

Hey guys. It's crunch time on my 74. I've got a 3.5" James Duff lift and extended radius arms installed, and the body is close to paint ready. I've got some 35"s that are gonna go under it too. While the body is off the frame, should I go ahead and put a 2" body lift on there too? I've already got the blocks, but i had decided not to use it. The more I look at pictures, the more I think that I might ought to go ahead and use the body lift. Do you guys have preferences? Are there major modifications that I need to worry about with just a 2"? I'm worried that I screwed up because I've already got a protofab rear bumper without factoring in a body lift. Should I avoid the body lift simply because of that?

 

[coreyvan77]

I guess if I was doing it over again I would probably do without the body lift. But I'm getting a little older and use the truck mostly for hunting and transportation. If ya plan on upgrading to a 351 it would be a great idea. But you will have to change a few things obviously when doing a body lift. Radiator shroud, shift linkage, and a few others. Hopefully someone else will chime in. I too run 35's and it's a bit of a jump to get in with 3.5 duff lift and a 3 inch body lift.

 

[blue bronco66]

i had a 2 inch then went to 3 inch body lift because of 39.5 boggers but im running 9"suspension lift.the only thing i recomend is to use rubber body mounts.i had urothane and it was noisy and stiff so i went to rubber. much better now

 

[75Bronc]

I just put a 2" body lift on mine, replaced the body mounts and everything, it was a real easy install, and not a whole lot of modifications. I had to cut and extend my shift linkage, cut a little more of the floor board out from underneath the shifter boot for shifting the t-case. My e-brake cables and brakelines were fine. The steering linkage was even fine, mine lift went smoothly, all depends on the bronco though..

 

[bfgreen85]

Thanks guys. I guess the only modification issue I have at this point would be the bumper. I kind of hate the fact that I already got the rear bumper before I made the decision. Does anybody think that it makes a big difference in the tire fitment? What about just the way it looks? I just don't want to regret my decision. But I definitely want to get it right while I've already got the body off. By the way, I'm gathering all my pictures, and I'll put my build thread up probably tomorrow.

 

[needabronco]

Call Mike at Protofab, they make a plate to relocate your rear bumper for a body lift.

 

[bfgreen85]

Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards going ahead and using the body lift. I think I'd be more likely to regret not using it. I'd appreciate it if anyone out there with a 3.5" suspension lift and a besttop could measure the TOTAL height of their rig for me (tallest part of soft top). It dawned on me that I need to make sure it will fit in my garage. I'm assuming I can subtract for any body lift. Just as long as I know. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I definitely don't want to park this thing outside if I can avoid it. I'll take a study break in a few hours and put together my build thread.

thanks in advance

Burdge

 

[jdcone]

Just air down the tires if it's too tall.

 

[bfgreen85]

That would be the clearcut choice if it's a really close call, but I'm not sure how much I have to work with. It would be a real pain if I had to air the tires up and down every time I wanted to park. I'll just measure my garage height when I get home sometime this decade. It would be a lot easier for someone out there with a 3.5" susp. lift to know if they fit in a same sized garage than to actually measure their rig. At least accurately.

 

[bfgreen85]

okay. i measured the height. I've only 6'7 1/4" to the actual door, but I can get it to 6'9" if i push the door up. anybody foresee that being a problem?

 

[mustangtoby]

Just measured mine for you, about 81" to the top of the highest bow in the top. I have a 2" bl, 3.5" sus lift, 35" tires (BFG KM2's), and a Bestop Soft Top. Some tires are smaller or larger than the size says, keep that in mind.

 

[needabronco]

If your hung up on the body lift/bumber thing, why not use a 1" lift. Alot of us run a 1" and honestly unless you really look you don't hardly notice the bumper clearance. I agree a 2" gap looks funky... Body lifts are pretty easy to change out after the fact, if your good, it could even be done in a couple of hours.

Minor hijack... Your lift/garage door question reminded me of when I helped a buddy of mine install a 6" lift and 35" tires on his F-150 in his sisters garage. We installed the lift, then took his wheels down to get the (much) larger tires, got everything on, and then noticed his truck was about 4" too tall to get out of the garage. If I remember right he had a body lift already. It took some creative thinking and several floor jacks to get it out.... It was a good laugh after it was free'd.

 

[Heus33]

If your hung up on the body lift/bumber thing, why not use a 1" lift. Alot of us run a 1" and honestly unless you really look you don't hardly notice the bumper clearance. I agree a 2" gap looks funky...

I 2nd this one - 1"BL plus 3.5" SL is a nice combo for 33's or 35's

 

[garberz]

You can gain another 2-3" in door height, if you were to get a sectional garage door.

 

[bfgreen85]

Thanks Mustang. And everyone else. That information helps me out a lot. The absolute tallest mine can be is 80.25". And by taking everyone's advice on the body lift, it should fit if I use a 1" too. And good call on the tire sizes being different. I forgot about that. I'll make sure that won't mess things up.

 

[jdcone]

If your hung up on the body lift/bumber thing, why not use a 1" lift. Alot of us run a 1" and honestly unless you really look you don't hardly notice the bumper clearance. I agree a 2" gap looks funky... Body lifts are pretty easy to change out after the fact, if your good, it could even be done in a couple of hours.

Minor hijack... Your lift/garage door question reminded me of when I helped a buddy of mine install a 6" lift and 35" tires on his F-150 in his sisters garage. We installed the lift, then took his wheels down to get the (much) larger tires, got everything on, and then noticed his truck was about 4" too tall to get out of the garage. If I remember right he had a body lift already. It took some creative thinking and several floor jacks to get it out.... It was a good laugh after it was free'd.

Been there done that. I had 1200 lbs of concrete in mt truck with lumber racks. Unloaded the sacks of concrete...oops...I needed 2" to get out. Had all the kids and a few neighbor kids climb in the bed of the truck. Problem solved. Truck has never seen the inside of a garage since then, 8yrs ago.

 

[Ms. Pinky]

I say "go BIG or go HOME" !!!!! LOL just a chics opinion:-*

 

[bfgreen85]

Girls tend to say that, but then they get upset if it won't even fit in the garage. Also, "going home" is the actual goal for getting the right lift height.